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Each Grain of Rice Costs Someone Else a Drop of Sweat 105.6 × 65.3 cm Color on paper, 1956

This portrait drawn in 1956 has been rated as a representative work of the “ school of figure painting” that rose in the 1950s and 60s noted for its realistic style and accurate depiction. With its title coming from lines of a Tang Dynasty (618-907) poem that read: “Who knows that every grain in the bowl, Is the fruit of so much pain and toil,” the picture is an authentic depiction of Chinese farmers’ life in the early days of the People’s Republic.

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Four Generations of a Family Liu Wenxi was born in Shengxian County (the present-day Shengzhou Liu Wenxi City) of Zhejiang Province in 1933. This picture drawn in bold lines, 117 × 97.5 cm rich colors, well-organized composition, and vigorous style gives a Color on paper, 1962 vivid portrayal of local farmers living on the Loess Plateau of northern Province for generations.

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Portrait of a Bride of Taiwan’s Paiwan Nationality Jiang Caiping 73.5 × 54.5 cm Color on paper, 1996

Jiang Caiping was born in Luoyang of Henan Province in 1934. In this portrait she boldly applies rich and bright colors to emphasize the dazzling beauty of the Taiwan bride dressed in splendid attire, giving new meaning to traditional Chinese figure painting characterized by fine brushwork and close attention to detail.

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Golden Autumn Jiang Caiping 170 × 97 cm Color on paper, 1991

Autumn is the season for harvest. Both the golden ears of corn in the background and the colorful dress of the figure in the foreground have given this portrait a strong flavor of decorative painting.

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